Defence minister calls Royal Navy shooting migrant boats 'illegal and disgusting'

Defence minister Luke Pollard has condemned remarks made by Robert Jenrick, Treasury spokesperson for Reform UK, suggesting the Royal Navy could use lethal force against migrant boats in the English Channel. Mr Pollard described the comments as 'illegal and disgusting' and 'abhorrent to British military values'.

Speaking on TalkTV, Mr Jenrick proposed that the Royal Navy might employ 'lethal force' against vessels attempting to reach the UK. He qualified his remarks by stating his preferred approach would be to return migrants to France, but argued that 'lethal force' could be an option to end the crossings swiftly. Mr Jenrick claimed Reform UK was the only party with the 'courage' to voice such opinions.

Military Values and Legal Orders

Responding on Times Radio, Mr Pollard stated that British armed forces are prohibited from accepting illegal orders. 'We do not shoot unarmed civilians. We do not take military action against civilians,' he said. Mr Pollard suggested Mr Jenrick's comments were a tactic to distract from other political issues and were contrary to both British military and general values.

These exchanges follow previous statements by Major-General Julian Thompson, a former Royal Marines commander, who told the Mail on Sunday that he would machine-gun migrant boats, expressing a desire for migrants to 'bugger off'.

Channel Crossing Statistics

This year, a total of 20,478 people have crossed the English Channel by small boat. This figure represents a 40 per cent decrease compared to the same period in the previous year. However, the average number of individuals per boat has significantly increased. In 2026, the average stands at 65 to 68 people per vessel, a stark contrast to the average of just 7 people per boat recorded in 2018.

A single-day record for 2026 was set on Wednesday, September 23, when 781 migrants arrived across 10 small boats.